


Lifting The Curse

by malecnificenttyrus11



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Julie and the phantoms - Freeform, Love Confessions, Post S1 finale, Post-Finale, Reunion Hug, S2 prediction fic, Shy!Alex, Sunset Curve, Willex reunion, bandmate banter, lifting the curse, relieved!willie, sad!willie, willie gets the love he deserves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:55:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26630992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malecnificenttyrus11/pseuds/malecnificenttyrus11
Summary: He wonders if Alex is still flickering and in pain---that thought destroys him all over again, sending him spiraling into another dark hole of self-loathing---As the day goes on and turns to night, he wonders if everything had worked out and Alex's band had been able to play at the Orphium. He wonders if Alex had crossed over.Willie has to stop himself several times from disappearing from Caleb's club to go and poof into the Orphium. To see Alex up on that stage with his own eyes.To see Alex one more time.
Relationships: Alex & Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 706





	Lifting The Curse

Willie made a promise to himself once he'd said goodbye to Alex, probably for the last time. He knew how much this girl Julie had meant to Alex and his friends, and so he made a promise to himself that he'd watch over her for them.

_ It was a promise he intended to keep. _

Willie had only met Alex a short time ago, and yet he'd never felt anything stronger for anyone in his entire life, or afterlife.

_ And looking at him for the last time, talking to him for the last time...was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. _

He tried to hold himself together...not show how much it was destroying him to lose Alex, because he didn't want to upset Alex. And then Alex hugged him...and Willie's resolve crumbled at the seams.

The hug was short, far too short for a hug that was meant as a goodbye, probably for eternity.

Willie savored every second of that hug, the way it felt to be wrapped in Alex's arms...and committed every feeling he felt to memory, to hold onto forever once Alex was gone.

He didn't know what to say once the hug was over, and wasn't sure that he'd be able to say anything even close to resembling a 'goodbye' without breaking down.

Instead, he said..."I'll see you around, hotdog." and then left before he broke down completely...not looking back.

He finds himself unable to get Alex out of his head. He spends the entire day, with drags on for what feels like an eternity, thinking about Alex. 

He wonders if Alex is still flickering and in pain---that thought destroys him all over again, sending him spiraling into another dark hole of self-loathing---

As the day goes on and turns to night, he wonders if everything had worked out and Alex's band had been able to play at the Orphium. He wonders if Alex had crossed over.

Willie has to stop himself several times from disappearing from Caleb's club to go and poof into the Orphium. To see Alex up on that stage with his own eyes.

_ To see Alex one more time.  _

As much as it destroys him, he knows that he can't do that. He couldn't risk putting himself in danger...putting Alex in _more_ danger.

So he waits...until the night is nearly over. He's finally accepted by this point that Alex undoubtedly played the Orphium and had crossed over. 

He's gone forever. Alex, the ghost boy that he'd run over with his skateboard in the streets of Hollywood, the boy that had been dropped into his neverending, black-and-white world and turned it completely on its axis...giving it color and light, was gone forever. 

Willie was sure that he'd never be able to forget Alex...to completely move past the pain of him being gone. 

But he'd keep Alex's memory alive, and he'd do the one thing that he knows Alex and his friends would want him to do...

_ He'd watch over Julie. _

The one person that he knew was hurting probably as much if not more than him over this situation _was_ Julie, the lifer who'd given Alex and his friends the chance to live their dream.

He knows that he can't offer any sort of comfort or solace to her, since he doesn't posess the ability to be visible to her in the same way that the band did. He also knows that seeing her devastated over the loss of the boys would undoubtedly pull what little is left of his resolve away.

_ But for him, and for Alex...he needed to check in on her. _

~

Willie gives it a few days before he finally decides to teleport over to Julie's house. The pain of losing Alex is still fresh and all-consuming--- _a neverending eternity with your soul in captivity would do that to you_ \---but he knows that this is what he has to do.

Caleb had been unusually MIA for the last few days, and Willie knew that it could not be a good sign. However, he took this as an opportunity to take his leave.

He focuses in on the familiar location of Julie's house, transporting himself over. He stumbles slightly once he lands in her backyard, taking a few seconds to gather his bearings.

Willie can hear what sounds like piano music echoing through the garage, and immediately walks over to peek in.

He sees a girl, who he presumes is Julie, sitting by a grand piano at the far end of the garage, playing the beginnings of a melody.

_ Sometimes I think I'm falling down _

_ I wanna cry, I'm callin' out _

_ For one more try to feel alive... _

Willie frowns as he listens to the lyrics...which sound sad. He's guessing that she'd written this song after the boys had crossed over. He couldn't even imagine the pain she must be going through.

_ Well, he could imagine, actually. _

_ And when I feel lost and alone _

_ I know that I can make it home _

_ Fight through the dark _

_ And find the spark... _

The piano melody gains momentum and intensity, Julie's emotion becoming more raw and evident in her voice.

_ Life is a risk but I will take it _

_ Close my eyes and jump _

_ Together I think that we can make it _

_ Come on, let's run... _

There's a flash that illuminates the entire interior of the garage, causing Willie to shield his eyes for a few seconds. 

_ And rise through the night, you and I _

_ We will fight to shine together _

_ Bright forever _

_ And rise through the night, you and I _

_ We will fight to shine together _

_ Bright forever... _

Willie's eyes widen in shock, him doing a double take to make sure his eyes hadn't been playing tricks on him.

_ Was that? There's no way... _

_ Alex. _

Willie stands frozen in his spot, eyes still wide in awe and disbelief as he watches Alex playing his drums...that beautiful, goofy smile on his face that took Willie's breath away.

_ And times that I doubted myself _

_ I felt likе I needed some help _

_ Stuck in my hеad with nothing left _

_ I feel something around me now _

_ So unclear, lifting me out _

_ I found the ground I'm marching on... _

If the situation was different, Willie would be freaking out over how amazing Alex was at the drums...at how in his element and confident and comfortable he looked---a stark contrast from the anxious, nervous ghost boy that he'd met in the streets not that long ago---

Instead, he finds himself still completely in shock...unable to believe that Alex was right there.

_ Alex was really here. He didn't cross over...he was still here. _

Wait...but _why_ didn't he cross over? Didn't he complete his unfinished business by playing the show at the Orphium? Unless...

Was the performance not their unfinished business? And if so...then how was Alex still 'alive'? How was he _here_? Caleb's curse would have undoubtedly made them cease to exist by now.

He had so many questions, and yet they all were drowned out by the overwhelming relief that he felt at seeing Alex again.

_ Life is a risk but we will take it _

_ Close my eyes and jump _

_ Together I think that we can make it _

_ Come on, let's run... _

Willie is so lost in his thoughts that he doesn't even realize that one of Alex's bandmates, Luke, had spotted him.

Luke continues playing his guitar as he makes his way across the garage to stand in front of Alex...locking eyes with him and gesturing towards the door.

Alex keeps playing, his gaze moving over to lock on Willie's...his eyes widening. Their eyes stay locked together as the band keeps playing.

_ And rise through the night, you and I _

_ We will fight to shine together  _

_ Bright forever _

_ And rise through the night, you and I _

_ We will fight to shine together _

_ Bright forever... _

Willie doesn't even realize that the song had ended, him completely entranced looking right into Alex's piercing blue eyes. He also doesn't realize Alex had disappeared from behind his drums until he hears something behind him.

He spins around, eyes widening when he sees Alex standing just a few feet away from him. 

He takes a small step forward, letting out a breath, " _Alex_..."

Alex smiles, "Willie... _hey_."

"You're...you're _here_." He breathes out, stepping closer again.

He nods, " _Yeah_...yeah I am."

"But..." Willie freezes, furrowing his eyebrows, " _How_?"

Alex shrugs, laughing softly, "Honestly? I have _no_ idea...I'm still new to all this ghost stuff. But I can't say I mind. I guess there's just..." he pauses, taking a step forward, "A _lot_ to like here."

Willie is frozen for a second, before immediately moving forward to close the distance between them and leap into Alex's arms.

He wraps his arms tightly around him, nuzzling his head into his shoulder. Alex's arms immediately loop around Willie...pulling him closer.

"I can't _believe_ this is real...you're still _here_." Willie says quietly, clinging onto the back of Alex's t-shirt tightly.

Alex laughs, "I can't believe it either."

Willie pulls away so he can look into Alex's eyes, his hands staying firmly on his shoulders, "What happened with the show at the Orphium? I thought..."

"We almost didn't _make_ it to the show. Caleb ghost-napped us and forced us to play with his houseband. We had to fight off his control..." Alex explains.

Willie's eyes widen, "But...it turns out that playing at the Orphium wasn't my, or _our_...unfinished business after all."

"Jesus...Caleb must've been _furious_ that you were all able to resist his control and left." Willie breathes out.

Alex nods, "Oh, no doubt about it. Those jolts became almost _unbearable_ once we'd finished the show. We were almost positive that we were going to, well...cease to exist." 

Willie frowns guiltily, " _God_ , Alex...I'm _so_ sorry. But...how are you still here, then?"

"I don't know..." he says, "something happened in the garage between Julie and Luke. They were actually able to hug...and it made his weakness go away. And when we all joined in... _our_ weakness went away too. And then..." he pauses.

Willie squeezes his shoulder, "What happened?"

"Those stamps that Caleb gave us...they disappeared. The pain was just... _gone_." Alex explains.

Willie's eyes dart around, "How...how is that _possible_? Normally Caleb is the only one who posesses the ability to lift or reverse his curses..."

"We don't know. Something just... _shifted_ in the air between us. It was after Julie said that she loved us." 

Willie furrows his eyebrows, still appearing to be in deep thought, "Maybe...maybe _love_ is the key to lifting Caleb's curse. Maybe it always has been." he says in realization.

Alex hums, "You think? I mean...wouldn't someone as powerful as him make it more difficult... _impossible_ for someone to lift his curse?"

"I mean...most of the ghosts that are under Caleb's control had died with something unresolved in the world of the lifers. A lot of them have already given up on love, or...believing that they _deserve_ it." He explains, voice shaky.

Willie had experienced something similar leading up to him joining Caleb's club. He was vulnerable, and alone...and had unresolved problems follow him into the afterlife. When he joined Caleb's club...he had already lost all hope. 

He had no reason to figure out his unfinished business or crossover...nobody that needed him to look over them, nobody that even cared that he was dead.

Willie never thought that he'd ever feel love again...he'd went almost his entire life as a lifer never feeling it.

_ And then he'd met Alex...and something shifted inside of him. _

He still didn't have any intentions of figuring out his unfinished business or crossing over, but he did start to believe in love again.

_ For the first time, he wanted to be free of the shackles binding him as a prisoner to Caleb. He wanted to be free... _

_ Free to explore this thrilling and terrifying thing that existed between him and Alex. This thrilling and terrifying thing that reminded him a lot of love. _

"But apart from _that_..." Willie pauses, looking up to meet Alex's eyes again, "There's _nothing_ more powerful than love."

Alex's eyes are wide, "You know...when I was alive I never really believed in love that much, or believed that I'd get to experience it. Things were harder back then for people like me...but now..." he pauses, "I think I believe in it."

They both fall silent, eyes still locked on eachother's. Willie's hand slides down from Alex's shoulder to find his hand...interlocking their fingers together.

Alex's breath hitches, and his eyes dart down to Willie's lips before looking back into his eyes.

"Willie...is it okay if I..." his voice fades off, a unsure and shy smile on his face.

He immediately knows what Alex is asking, and he finds himself nodding instantly. 

"Yeah..."

Alex slowly walks forward to close the little distance remaining between them, eyes still locked on Willie's. He brings his hands up slowly to cradle Willie's face, searching his eyes for any sign of doubt.

He slowly leans in towards Willie, freezing just before their lips touch. Willie immediately leans forward to close the distance between then...pressing their lips together.

Willie brings a hand up to rest on Alex's wrist, the other falling to his waist. 

Their lips move together for a few seconds, until a warm sensation completely surrounds Willie's body, causing him to pull away from the kiss.

His eyes linger on Alex's for a few seconds, before he glances down at his body...which is glowing with a bright yellow light.

He furrows his eyebrows, looking up to meet Alex's eyes again, "What's happening?" he asks.

"The same thing that happened when Julie hugged us a few days ago..." Alex says quietly, a small disbelieving smile on his lips.

Willie glances down again, laughing softly. His eyes widen when he sees the stamp on his wrist slowly lift off of his skin, his eyes following it as it floats away and vanishes into thin air.

" _Woah_..." he breathes out.

He shifts his gaze back to meet Alex's again, "You...you broke Caleb's hold on my soul."

Alex lifts his eyebrows, "Yeah, I...I guess I did."

"I don't understand. I thought to do it you had to love the person and-" he freezes, "You...you _love_ me?" he asks.

Alex's eyes are wide, a blush settling across his cheeks, "Yeah, it looks like I do..."

Willie smiles, biting back the smile threatening to appear on his face, "I...guess I love you, too..." he confesses.

He walks forward again, eyes darting between Alex's, "I thought I would never be free from Caleb's control. I never thought anyone would come along that could break the curse, save me...not anyone that would _want_ to."

He brings a hand up to rest against Alex's cheek, "You saved me..."

Alex smiles, "Someone had to."

Willie leans up to press his lips against Alex's again...wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling him closer. Alex smiles against his lips...resting his hands on Willie's lower back and pulling him closer...deepening the kiss.

Wolf-whistles and claps from behind them cause them to jump apart, turning to see Alex's bandmates all standing outside the garage, smirking at them.

Luke is giving Alex a smug look of 'I told you so,' Reggie is giving him a proud smirk, and Julie is standing in between the two, looking at them both confused.

"I'm sorry but... _what's_ going on?" She asks, looking at Luke.

He laughs, "Oh, right...you can only see _us_. Uh...Alex here was just kissing his _ghost boyfriend_." Luke explains, sending a teasing look at Alex.

Alex shoots him a glare, averting his gaze to the ground as a deep blush settles on his cheeks. Willie laughs, squeezing his arm.

Julie raises her eyebrows, "Ghost boyfriend, huh? _Cute_. I wish I could meet him."

"Well his name is Willie...Alex has been _smitten_ with him since the first day he met him. Couldn't stop going on-and-on about how Willie running him over with his skateboard, Willie teaching him all the cool ghost-lingo, Willie and him screaming in museums..." Luke explains, earning another glare from Alex.

"Dude _seriously_? Don't you think letting me cry for _25 years_ without a hug was torture enough?" Alex whines, avoiding Willie's eyes.

Luke rolls his eyes, "Kill the dramatics, man. It's about time you're happy. You _deserve_ it."

Reggie nods, "Agreed. Although...I'm _kind_ of curious to know what was just going on _there_..." he says, gesturing between them.

Willie smiles, "Well, it looks like Alex helped me figure out the key to escaping Caleb's curse."

"The key to lifting the curse is _kissing_? But I thought-" Reggie starts, flinching when Luke shoves his shoulder.

Luke rolls his eyes, "Dude...let him talk."

"Judging by what happened to you guys the other night, and then just now...it looks like the secret to lifting the curse is _love_." He explains, giving Alex a fond smile.

Reggie smiles, "Huh...that's adorable. Although I don't understand how the curse was lifted off of _us_ because I'm _definitely_ not in love with Luke and-" Luke hits him again, earning a glare.

Willie laughs, "It doesn't just have to be _romantic_ love. It could be platonic love, familial love...anything that breaks the binds of Caleb's spell."

"A lot of ghosts go into the afterlife with unresolved issues left in their lives. So they don't believe in love anymore, and that's why they're more vulnerable to Caleb's curse..." Alex explains, grinning proudly as he walks towards them, "Willie taught me that." he whispers loudly with a goofy grin.

Willie raises his eyebrows in fond amusement, as his bandmates all snort.

"You _aren't_ subtle, man." Luke whisper-yells back, earning a pout from Alex.

Julie clears her throat, "Uh, so anyway...I feel completely lost right now. But...we should keep rehearsing."

She turns to look at Alex, smirking, "Why don't you ask your _boo_ to sit in on rehearsal?"

He blushes, turning to look at Willie but jumping out of his skin when he sees he's right behind him, grabbing his chest, "Jesus, Willie...warn a guy. You _spooked_ me."

Willie smirks, "That's _kind of_ my job as a ghost, hot dog." he teases, laughing as he nudges his shoulder.

"Would you want to, y'know...sit in on rehearsal?" Alex asks shyly, and Willie nods.

"I'd love to." He says with a smile, following the band back into the garage. Just before Alex walks in, he grabs his wrist.

Willie leans up to whisper in his ear, "Oh, and by the way...you're amazing at playing the drums. Really _hot_."

Alex bites back a smile, blushing furiously.

They all walk back inside and take their spots, Willie sitting down on the couch and shooting Alex a smirk.

_ Yeah...Willie was sure he could get used to this whole love thing. Alex made it pretty easy. _

_ Maybe eternity wouldn't be so bad anymore. _


End file.
